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mobelchhh's review
4.0
Such a fun book--pure adventure from beginning to end! The amount of typos was really distracting at certain points of the reading experience, but I truly enjoyed myself. Couldn't put it down. I'm definitely excited to see all these characters come back in the sequel.
_viv_'s review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
[Review originally from my Goodreads]
Firstly can we all appreciate the cover art! It's stunning and what originally got me into picking up this book. Then I read the blurb and I knew it was for me. Roadtrip (urban) fantasy/dystopian books are my absolute favorite niche and I want to find more of them. Which "The Black Veins" fit right into.
I loved this book for a number of reasons: the found family trope, the urban fantasy setting that incorporated its magics well, the characters. This book is extremely character-driven, while the plot is always there overhanging and influencing their actions...it's still a roadtrip book. There are teenage shenanigans mixed in that I guess you could say distract from the plot if that's what your focus is entirely on. Personally I think there's a good balance between the two, but I am bias because I love the characters so much.
That being said there are a few nitpick details to go over. Mainly, I was upset that Jamie (Blythe's friend) was almost entirely forgotten/relevant after the first few chapters. I feel like we could've taken them out of the book, said Blythe has friends at home but is mostly a loner, and nothing would really change. If I remember correctly they're mentioned only a few times and Blythe never really pays them much mind. We are told the two have a tight friendship/bond but that's largely ignored.
Secondly, there are a few spelling or grammar errors throughout the book. None of that really bothered me but I did catch a couple.
Lastly, with such a large cast of characters I find that a few traits fail the "show don't tell" test. While I'm not super big on using that term, as I think there are a ton of acceptations to that "rule." The reader sometimes just gets told things about the character's friendships or relationships with each other. Though this detail was so minor it didn't hinder or bother my reading experience.
Summary:
This book fits my niche and I love it to bits. The cover is gorgeous and the characters are amazing. A few details like the lack of Jamie's character after they are introduced, spelling errors, and the reading being told things are in this book. But the flaws are so minimum that it never really hindered my experience reading.
Firstly can we all appreciate the cover art! It's stunning and what originally got me into picking up this book. Then I read the blurb and I knew it was for me. Roadtrip (urban) fantasy/dystopian books are my absolute favorite niche and I want to find more of them. Which "The Black Veins" fit right into.
I loved this book for a number of reasons: the found family trope, the urban fantasy setting that incorporated its magics well, the characters. This book is extremely character-driven, while the plot is always there overhanging and influencing their actions...it's still a roadtrip book. There are teenage shenanigans mixed in that I guess you could say distract from the plot if that's what your focus is entirely on. Personally I think there's a good balance between the two, but I am bias because I love the characters so much.
That being said there are a few nitpick details to go over. Mainly, I was upset that Jamie (Blythe's friend) was almost entirely forgotten/relevant after the first few chapters. I feel like we could've taken them out of the book, said Blythe has friends at home but is mostly a loner, and nothing would really change. If I remember correctly they're mentioned only a few times and Blythe never really pays them much mind. We are told the two have a tight friendship/bond but that's largely ignored.
Secondly, there are a few spelling or grammar errors throughout the book. None of that really bothered me but I did catch a couple.
Lastly, with such a large cast of characters I find that a few traits fail the "show don't tell" test. While I'm not super big on using that term, as I think there are a ton of acceptations to that "rule." The reader sometimes just gets told things about the character's friendships or relationships with each other. Though this detail was so minor it didn't hinder or bother my reading experience.
Summary:
This book fits my niche and I love it to bits. The cover is gorgeous and the characters are amazing. A few details like the lack of Jamie's character after they are introduced, spelling errors, and the reading being told things are in this book. But the flaws are so minimum that it never really hindered my experience reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Kidnapping
thishannah's review
I was drawn to this book by the promise that there would be no romantic plot arc, but stayed hooked thanks to the characters, the development of the magical world, and the quick-turning plot. Blythe and her found family were so good-hearted and relatable, and I loved seeing how their different magical abilities complemented one another.
My only minor nitpick is that the book could have used another round of copyediting, but the mistakes didn't bother me as much as they would in a book from a trad publisher where I know it's someone's full-time job to catch these things.
My other complaint is that I wasn't ready for the story to end when it did! I will definitely tune in to the sequel when it comes out.
My only minor nitpick is that the book could have used another round of copyediting, but the mistakes didn't bother me as much as they would in a book from a trad publisher where I know it's someone's full-time job to catch these things.
My other complaint is that I wasn't ready for the story to end when it did! I will definitely tune in to the sequel when it comes out.
duntothewood's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
just_a_city_gorl's review against another edition
3.5
- It’s a DNF since I’m just kinda forcing myself through it now.
- I liked it in the beginning and the characters are well done but im not actually attached to them like I usually am in books and I pretty much only read a book because of the characters so im struggling for motivation.
- It was a very cool idea and I do like the whole guardian thing and all the plot twists. It was very cool.
- And I liked just the magical elements overal, like the Tempore and Blythe’s hockey stick.
- So yeah, it was a very good book, and the representation was incredible, but it just wasn’t for me I don’t thing.
dihades's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
stiino19's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I really liked it
haven_woodrose's review against another edition
4.0
In some ways I’m surprised that this is a debut novel, because the characters are so well-crafted and I loved all of their dynamics with one another, but in other ways I can understand how this is the first book Monet has written; in the first couple of chapters, the style feels a bit stiff and formal, but the further you go into the book the more it relaxes. It feels like Monet finds a more natural “voice” about 1/4th of the way through, and from there everything is smooth sailing.
But the characters! The characters. The blurb describes this book as “the no-love-interest, found family adventure you’ve been searching for” which is a bold claim but ended up being entirely correct. I hadn’t thought I’d been searching for that exact thing, but Monet proved me wrong. All of the Guardians are so vibrant and quirky, and so inclusive — Blythe is Black and bisexual, Caspian is trans, Daniel has an anxiety disorder, Antonio is Latino, and the list just goes on. Their “babysitter,” a young woman named Katia, is grouchy and rude and participates in a kidnapping over breakfast, but is still likeable because yeah, she’s a bitch, but she isn’t a bigot. (My favorite character was definitely Cordelia, but this is supposed to be a serious book review as opposed to just me gushing about a new favorite read).
All of the Guardians have a great, complex dynamic with one another that changes over time. They aren’t instantly best friends, nor do they even instantly get along, and they keep secrets, make bargains, and occasionally even lie to each other. Ultimately, however, they are definitely a found family, and they keep each other going through even the darkest trials. It’s very wholesome, but it’s wholesomeness with so much tension because the stakes are so high. All of the Guardians are minors, but the danger they were facing felt so real and I was genuinely scared for them.
One of those dangers is the Erasers, who “erase” magic-users out of existence if they reveal the secret of magic existing to non-magical people. The Erasers have been pursuing Blythe and her family for as long as she can remember, and it’s a big mystery as to why they’re doing so until the very end of the book. My opinion is that the mystery of the Erasers was drawn out for too long, because their terrifying mystique had become hokey and annoying by the time everything was explained about their motives for what they did. Nevertheless, I’m really intrigued by them, and I’m really curious about what role the Erasers will play in the next installment of this series.
But the characters! The characters. The blurb describes this book as “the no-love-interest, found family adventure you’ve been searching for” which is a bold claim but ended up being entirely correct. I hadn’t thought I’d been searching for that exact thing, but Monet proved me wrong. All of the Guardians are so vibrant and quirky, and so inclusive — Blythe is Black and bisexual, Caspian is trans, Daniel has an anxiety disorder, Antonio is Latino, and the list just goes on. Their “babysitter,” a young woman named Katia, is grouchy and rude and participates in a kidnapping over breakfast, but is still likeable because yeah, she’s a bitch, but she isn’t a bigot. (My favorite character was definitely Cordelia, but this is supposed to be a serious book review as opposed to just me gushing about a new favorite read).
All of the Guardians have a great, complex dynamic with one another that changes over time. They aren’t instantly best friends, nor do they even instantly get along, and they keep secrets, make bargains, and occasionally even lie to each other. Ultimately, however, they are definitely a found family, and they keep each other going through even the darkest trials. It’s very wholesome, but it’s wholesomeness with so much tension because the stakes are so high. All of the Guardians are minors, but the danger they were facing felt so real and I was genuinely scared for them.
One of those dangers is the Erasers, who “erase” magic-users out of existence if they reveal the secret of magic existing to non-magical people. The Erasers have been pursuing Blythe and her family for as long as she can remember, and it’s a big mystery as to why they’re doing so until the very end of the book. My opinion is that the mystery of the Erasers was drawn out for too long, because their terrifying mystique had become hokey and annoying by the time everything was explained about their motives for what they did. Nevertheless, I’m really intrigued by them, and I’m really curious about what role the Erasers will play in the next installment of this series.